


'She held my hand that night too.' - Astoria's Anniversary

by StaircaseScorpius



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: A good cup of tea solves all problems, Albus Severus Potter-centric, Albus is doing his best, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Book: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Draco Malfoy is a Good Parent, Draco makes Tea, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Floo Network, Gen, Good Draco Malfoy, Grief/Mourning, Harry Potter Next Generation, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Loss, Loss of Parent(s), Malfoy Family Feels (Harry Potter), Malfoy Manor, One Shot, Panic Attacks, Past Character Death, Pre-Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Scorbus, Scorpius Malfoy & Albus Severus Potter Friendship, Scorpius-centric, Sneaking Out, Walks On The Beach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2020-01-07 13:51:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18411953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StaircaseScorpius/pseuds/StaircaseScorpius
Summary: 'It's today, alright? A year. Since- since-' Scorpius's voiced wavered and broke.Albus could feel dread rising in his chest but found himself stupidly asking, 'Since what?'Scorpius's face crumpled, and he barely whispered, 'Mum.'*Scorpius is staying over at the Potters' on the anniversary of Astoria's death, and he doesn't deal with it so well. Albus does his best to help his friend but is a bit clueless. Draco makes cups of tea for everyone.





	'She held my hand that night too.' - Astoria's Anniversary

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, these boys. I got thinking about how Scorpius would be dealing with losing his mum a year on, and how that would play out in his friendship with Albus. This all takes place the summer before the events of Cursed Child so I've tried to keep everything compliant!

'Come on, it's not that difficult!' Albus called up to his friend, one hand shielding his eyes from the sun as he watched Scorpius navigate the rocks blocking their path down to the sand. His long limbs and awkward height didn't make him a natural climber. Scorpius teetered on one leg, almost over-balancing, and Albus hurried forwards ready to catch him. 

'I can do it! I can!' he yelped, and haphazardly jumped from stone to stone, eventually leaping towards Albus and crashing into his side, sending both of them reeling across the beach. 

It was only the first day of summer but the stresses of Hogwarts already felt like a distant memory. Sunlight bounced off Scorpius's bright blonde hair and the gentle waves seemed to sparkle. They settled close to the ocean, near enough to dip their feet in the cool water, and lay back to watch the clouds. 

‘Are you having a good day?’ Scorpius asked, folding his hands behind his head and closing his eyes.

‘Yep,’ Albus nodded. 'I hope the rest of summer is this chilled.' 

* * *

The summer days stretched into weeks and the boys grew calm and carefree, more tanned (in Albus’s case at least, Scorpius continued to slather himself with sunscreen every morning), spending most of their time outdoors exploring the fields and beaches close to the Potters' home. They were wandering slowly back to the house on a balmy Thursday afternoon, Albus chatting about potions, when he noticed that Scorpius seemed quieter than usual, lagging behind him.

'-and then James told me that if you get good enough, they'll let you use real Mandrake instead of just the...’ he tailed off as he realised his friend wasn’t listening. ‘Scorpius?'

His friend said nothing, concentrating on the strand of beach grass he was rolling between two fingers. 

'Scorpius?' Albus tried again. 

'Oh. Sorry. Yes, hello.' Scorpius startled and looked up. He half-smiled, taking a big breath and looking slightly lost.

'Are you okay?' 

'Me? Yes, fine. I was just... thinking about something I saw in the Prophet earlier.'

Albus didn't think Scorpius read the newspaper, but he was happy enough to let his odd friend come up with an excuse if he didn't want to talk right now. He shrugged, and they continued back to the house. 

* * *

Dinners were variable at the Potters'. Harry's cooking was good and the food was always plentiful, but you never knew if a mean-spirited joke from James about his siblings, or a misguided comment from Albus to his parents might upset the tone. Harry and Albus seemed to snap at each other more often these days, and all the others could do was wait for them to get it out of their system. Tonight though, the meal passed without incident, and most of the conversation focused on the really quite impressive synchronised corkscrew move that Lily and James had managed to perfect during their quidditch practice that day. Once the plates were cleared and they’d all managed to persuade James that no, they didn’t need another quidditch demonstration  _right_ after dinner, Albus and Scorpius excused themselves and made their way to the back garden, where the sinking sun left just enough warmth for them to be comfortable lounging on the grass together. 

Most evenings they leafed through books side by side, reading interesting or amusing sections out loud to each other, or sometimes played a few rounds of gobstones. This evening though, Albus noticed his companion's unusual silence again. Scorpius normally loved to chatter but even when Albus suggested a round of quizzes, the response was decidedly unenthusiastic. 

'Scorpius, is something up? You seem weird today. Weirder, I mean. Than usual.'

Scorpius lay flat on the grass with his legs propped up against a garden chair and arms folded over his chest. He didn't turn to look at Albus. 'I'm just thinking, that's all. It's fine.'

Albus wasn't convinced. 'Well, if you say so. But you can tell me, you know.'

Scorpius gazed up at the sky as it faded from blue to purple to orange, and didn't reply.

* * *

By the time they switched off the string of lights twisted around the beams of the attic room, Albus had given up. If Scorpius didn't want to talk, he wasn't going to push it, but that didn't mean he wasn't a little affronted that his best friend wasn't confiding in him. Scorpius had already curled up under the blanket on his foldaway bed on Albus's floor, facing the wall, and all Albus could see was his pale hair reflecting the moonlight. 

'Night, Scorpius', he whispered. 

A brief, indistinct reply came back, muffled by the blanket. Albus sighed and flopped over in bed, not willing to make any more effort right now. With one finger, he traced the outline of mountains on the poster next to his bed, returning to the idle wonders he often had about places he'd travel when he was old enough. His eyes grew heavy and visions of forests and rolling hills floated before him as he drifted towards sleep. But as the sounds of the house settled beneath them, he became aware of a soft noise on the other side of the room, a muted rustling. 

Albus rolled back over to check that James hadn't let a niffler loose in his room (it wouldn’t be the first time), but still all he could make out was Scorpius wrapped in his blanket... shaking? He paused, blinking in the dusk, trying to figure out if his friend was just shivering. But the evening was still warm and he had plenty of blankets. 

'...Scorpius?' he hissed, as quiet as he could manage. Immediately, there was a soft intake of breath and the shaking stopped - almost. As if Scorpius was trying to hold himself still.

'Scorpius, is something wrong?'

Still silence. 

Albus was awake now, no doubt about it. He pulled back his own blanket and swung himself out of bed, padding softly across the floor towards his friend. He dodged the creaky floorboard - second one in from the door - and knelt beside the low bed. Scorpius didn't turn to face him, but Albus could tell he wasn't sleeping either. 

'Scorpius, will you just tell me what's going on? What’s the matter?'

Scorpius sniffed, and his slim frame shook under the heavy knitted blanket. Albus gingerly reached a hand out to his shoulder and Scorpius flinched at the touch. 'It's nothing', he mumbled eventually. His voice sounded thick, choked.  

'It's evidently not nothing', Albus hissed in the dark, giving his shoulder a gentle shove, 'Come on, it's just me.'

Scorpius exhaled, and turned. Albus saw that his face was streaked with tears.

'It's today, alright? A year. Since- since-' Scorpius's voiced wavered and broke. 

Albus could feel dread rising in his chest but found himself stupidly asking, 'Since what?'

Scorpius's face crumpled, and he barely whispered, 'Mum.'

That one word sent a gut-wrenching pang of guilt through Albus and he sat back in horror as he realised the significance of this date. How could he have forgotten?

'Scorp... I'm so dense, I didn't think...'

Scorpius's eyes were tightly closed, but the tears continued to leak. He moved to cover his face with his hands, but without thinking Albus reached forward and intercepted, taking firm hold of Scorpius's right hand with his left and twining their fingers together. Scorpius didn't seem to notice, but brought his free hand up to stifle the sob which suddenly broke the room's silence. Albus looked down at his friend and felt his own breathing grow shallow in sympathy, his eyes start to prickle.

‘What can I do, Scorpius? Tell me how I can help,’ he whispered urgently, aware of noise carrying through the rest of the house but wanting more than anything for Scorpius not to be in pain.

‘I don’t know - what can you do?’ Scorpius’s said, through the sobs which were now coming thick and fast. ‘What can anyone do? She – she’s still gone.’ He rolled back onto his side, his back to Albus, untangling their hands and curling up with his knees against his chest.

Albus fell silent, and the only sound was Scorpius’s crying. He couldn’t bear it – he instinctively pulled the blanket from his friend’s shoulders and clambered awkwardly over Scorpius, who hiccupped and shuffled back to the edge of the mattress to make room. Albus settled on his other side, back against the wall, and dragged the blanket back into place over the top of them both. They’d shared beds before when they were younger, when they wanted to stay up talking all night in the dormitory or when Scorpius needed company after a difficult day of dealing with bullies, but they had both grown since then and now the narrow foldaway bed was decidedly cramped, with Scorpius’s long, skinny limbs taking up most of the space. They lay at either edge of the mattress, resting their foreheads against one another in the centre of the pillow, and again Albus clasped their hands together between them.

‘I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,’ he whispered, over and over, as Scorpius wept. Albus felt like a hand was clenched around his heart, and he tried to keep his composure, tried to stay strong. After a few minutes, Scorpius opened his eyes, looking down at their hands. ‘She – mum – she…’ he began, his voice strained and barely audible, 'She held my hand too. That night-'

Albus loosened his grip, panicked, ‘I can stop-’

‘No-’ Scorpius tightened his fingers. ‘No, it’s fine.’ Tears continued to track down his cheeks, soaking the pillow beneath them, ‘I don’t think anyone else has held my hand since then. But that was the hospital, you know, and it was so bright – all these lights – and Dad-'

Another heaving sob wracked Scorpius’s body, and Albus’s chest tightened in sympathy. They’d never spoken about the details of that night, never spoken at length about Astoria at all, he realised now. Had Scorpius been waiting to tell him this? Scorpius steadied his breathing, blinking furiously, ‘Dad left, you know? He had to go home – had to send owls, sort things, I don’t remember – but he left. They said – they said the night would be okay, that we didn’t need to stay, but – but-’

Albus looked down at his friend’s face, just able to see his eyelashes, wet with tears, against his pale face. ‘But it wasn’t okay’, he breathed.

Scorpius gripped Albus’s hands tighter and pressed his eyes shut. ‘No,’ his voice broke, and his breathing grew shallow again, ‘No, it was just hours – only hours – and it was just me, I tried to get an owl or floo – and the nurses, they tried, they were kind, but there was nothing – and I just had to sit-'

‘Breathe, Scorpius, please,’ Albus lifted a hand and found Scorpius’s shoulder, holding him firmly to try and stop him shaking so violently.

‘I just sat there – and she kept asking for him, for Dad, and I knew he wouldn’t – I knew he wanted to be there – and then she went so quiet, and she – she asked me – to hold her hand.  _Hold my hand, Scorpius_ – and then – that was it – that was all.’

Albus found himself unable to speak, the real horror of his friend’s loss truly sinking in for the first time. He lay still as Scorpius shook and hyperventilated beside him, his sobs high and desperate, each note cutting through Albus like a knife. He squeezed Scorpius’s shoulder, trying to communicate reassurance and sympathy, but how could he possibly make this better? The heavy blanket over them muffled the sobs to the rest of the house, but the sound filled Albus’s ears and mind until his own hot tears started to fall, mixing with Scorpius’s on the soft pillow beneath them.

‘I’m sorry,’ Albus whispered once more.

They gripped each other’s hands tightly, not speaking, as Scorpius’s breathing gradually slowed from short, frantic bursts to a strained but steady pace. Albus could tell from the occasional shake of his head or twitch of his fingers that Scorpius was still picturing that night, and he swore to himself that he would stay awake beside Scorpius for as long as he needed.

It could have been minutes or hours, but after a time the tension in Scorpius’s slight frame started to dissipate and he fell into a fitful sleep, still curled up close to his friend. Albus felt a twisting ache starting to develop in his back, and the heat from their two bodies trapped under the heavy blanket was stifling. Slowly, trying to avoid sudden movements, he wriggled his toes out of the bottom of the blanket and relished the feel of the cool air. Scorpius shifted next to him and drew in a deep breath, but continued to sleep. Albus tried to relax his shoulders and closed his eyes against the soft moonlight, forcing his mind to focus on mountains and valleys and clouds.

* * *

Next thing he knew, a flash of pain reverberated across Albus’s side and he woke sharply, disoriented and hot. Another thud – Scorpius’s knee colliding with his shin. He groaned in pain and tried to back away, his back pressing against the wall.

‘No, no, no, please-' Scorpius thrashed violently, the blanket tangling in his arms and his clenched fists flailing at Albus.

‘It’s me, it’s me, Scorpius-'

‘Dad?’ Scorpius called blindly, ‘Dad, no-'

Albus ducked and dodged, pushing himself upright and blinking the sleep from his eyes, holding one arm before him as a barrier and desperately grabbing for Scorpius’s wrists with his free hand. ‘Scorpius! Stop, it’s me-' He caught hold of a flailing wrist, and forced Scorpius’s arm down against his side.

‘No!’ Scorpius’s eyes flew open in fear and he wrenched his arm from Albus’s grasp, barely breathing as he scrambled backwards, almost toppling off the bed before regaining his balance and grabbing at the closest bookshelves to steady himself. ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry!’ Albus shrank back and held his hands aloft, watching Scorpius retreat and cower against the shelves across the room, panting and shaking.

Scorpius looked at him without seeing, abject terror etched across his deathly pale face. Albus shifted forward, reaching out to his friend, but Scorpius whimpered and shielded his face with his hands.

‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry - you were asleep, Scorp, it’s me, it’s Albus – whatever you saw, it’s not real-'

'Al- Albus?’

‘Yes, Albus, it’s me, I’m here-'

Suddenly, Scorpius’s vision refocused and his shoulders sank. ‘Albus,’ he spoke slowly, trying to make sense of the word again in his mind, ‘Oh god, Albus-'

Scorpius looked up at him, the fear melting away as he remembered where he was. ‘I’m sorry, I was dreaming – I thought-' he paused, noticing Albus holding his left arm awkwardly, and his expression changed to one of panic. ‘Did I hurt you?’

‘No, no, Scorpius, you didn’t hurt me at all,’ Albus shook the tension from his arms and sat back down on the bed. ‘You just… scared me.’

Scorpius stayed where he was on the floorboards, nodding softly. ‘I didn’t mean… I’m sorry I woke you, disturbed you-' His face crumpled with sorrow.

‘Stop apologising, it’s okay,’ Albus slid off the bed and scooted across the floor to his friend’s side, sitting cross-legged and reaching out a hand to rest lightly on Scorpius’s knee. ‘It’s rubbish, Scorp, all of it, I know. School and your dad and – and what happened to your mum, and I should have known, I should have remembered it was today and done something, or said something, and – well, I should be the one apologising.’

Scorpius shook his head, avoiding Albus’s gaze. ‘You shouldn’t have to – to take care of me. Like I’m a child, or I can’t-'

‘Oi,’ Albus shook Scorpius’s knee gently, ‘You’re my best friend. It’s my job to be here for you. Okay?’

Scorpius didn’t respond.

‘Okay?’ Albus poked his shoulder.

Scorpius didn’t speak, but took a deep breath and looked up at Albus, his eyes puffy and wet with tears again. He nodded, lip trembling. Albus almost smiled at the sight of him, his pale blonde hair sticking up in all directions, his usually pristine pyjama collar ruffled and folded over on itself. Albus spoke softly. ‘Can I help, Scorpius? What do you want to do?’

Scorpius looked uncertain, trying to sort his jumble of thoughts into some kind of order. After a moment or two, he opened his mouth as if to start speaking, but then fell silent again. Albus nudged him. ‘What is it?’

‘It’s stupid. I just thought – I was thinking that I wish I could see Dad,’ He sighed. ‘But I’m here.’

Albus felt a soft twinge of hurt at those words.  _Does Scorpius not enjoy staying here?_ said a small voice in his head.  _My family are a bit difficult, I know that, but I thought we’d been having fun…_ He shook his head, trying to get rid of the voice. This wasn’t about him right now, Scorpius was suffering and had every right to miss his dad and his home. Albus thought for a minute, and glanced at the old muggle-style clock next to his bed – half past two. He strained his ears to try and identify any movement in the rest of the house, but heard nothing. Hopefully the noise from their attic room had been brief enough not to disturb any of the others.

‘Okay, I’ve got a plan,’ he announced in a whisper.

Scorpius looked up, concerned. ‘Oh no Albus, no, you always say that and you get that look in your eye and then who knows what will happen – well, chaos is what happens most of the time actually-'

Albus shushed him. ‘It’ll be fine, it’s only a little plan – a safe one.’

'It’s the middle of the night!’

‘Exactly, everyone is asleep! James and Lily were playing quidditch all day, they’re exhausted, and mum and dad are on the ground floor anyway – I think we can get down to the kitchen and floo our way to your dad.’ Albus grinned in the dark, always happiest when he was plotting, and especially if it involved the two of them together.

Scorpius bit his lip. ‘I don’t know…’ he hesitated, the conflicting desires to see his father but to not break any rules written plain on his face. ‘He probably won’t even be awake – my dad, I mean.’

Albus wasn’t going to let go of his plan while he still had a shot at making Scorpius feel less sad. ‘Then we’ll wait for him till the morning.’

Scorpius was still thinking, and they sat on the floor for a few moments longer until Albus decided to make a decision for the pair of them. ‘Well, I’m going to try,’ he said, uncrossing his legs and getting to his feet, ducking under the low beam above their spot in the corner of the attic room. ‘And it’s going to be a bit weird if I turn up in the middle of the night to see Draco Malfoy but I don’t bring his son with me too.’

He extended his hand to Scorpius, who paused, just briefly, before taking it. ‘Okay.’ Albus yanked his hand, pulling Scorpius roughly to his feet and – smack – banging his head on the hard wooden beam. Scorpius yelled in pain and Albus gasped, swore, and clapped a hand over his friend’s mouth to stop him shouting.

‘Sorry sorry sorry!’ he whispered urgently, but Scorpius was already starting to smile ruefully, rubbing his head with one hand and resting the other on Albus’s shoulder.

‘This is already going so well.’ Scorpius whispered with the briefest hint of a smirk.

Albus giggled. ‘I’m a clumsy idiot, I know, but I promise this will work.’ He turned and started to haphazardly gather belongings – a sweatshirt, a scarf, his wand, and the remains of a half-eaten cauldron cake from dinner. Scorpius stood nervously by and watched his friend hurry around, unsure of what one was supposed to take on a midnight floo mission.

Once Albus had pulled on his sweater and stuffed a few bites of cauldron cake into his mouth, he headed towards the door, pausing to look back at Scorpius only when he realised he hadn’t moved to follow. ‘What’s up?’

‘I don’t…’ Scorpius faltered.

Albus stood in the doorway and considered his friend. He stood illuminated by the soft moonlight, shoulders hunched, shivering slightly in his matching striped pyjama set, his bare feet shuffling on the cold floorboards. A strange, tight feeling rose around Albus’s heart and he had a sudden desire to hug Scorpius tightly and not let go. Instead, he moved to the wardrobe and pulled out one of his old hoodies from the top shelf – it was a bit small for him now, but it would fit Scorpius’s slender frame just fine. ‘Arms out,’ he said quietly, and Scorpius held out each arm in turn to let Albus pull on the hoody and zip it up to his collar. Next, Albus ducked behind him to the dresser, grabbing a pair of thick woollen socks from the top drawer and handing them to Scorpius, who leaned against Albus’s shoulder for balance as he pulled them on. ‘Just don’t stretch them out with your big clown feet,’ Albus said, nudging Scorpius playfully.

'Hey, I’m only one shoe size bigger than you,’ Scorpius said with a half-smile. ‘There, warm feet now.’ He wiggled his toes and stood upright, but his smile quickly vanished and was replaced with the same expression of trepidation he’d worn before.

Albus paused and looked at Scorpius, wishing he could take away some of the pain behind those pale grey eyes. They held eye contact for a moment, and Albus squeezed his friend’s arm gently. ‘It’ll be fine, Scorp.’ Scorpius nodded, and wordlessly they both drew their wands, just in case, and headed for the door. The narrow staircase leading from Albus’s room down to the upper landing was dotted with creaky stairs, but moving slowly they managed to descend without too much noise, Albus leading the way and Scorpius following, one hand on Albus’s shoulder in the dark, trying to match his treads on the stairs.

Once they both stood on the landing, Albus saw a thin sliver of soft light spilling from underneath Lily’s bedroom door. Her windows faced the same direction as his – it was most likely just the moon, he told himself. Scorpius didn’t seem to have noticed so rather than pointing out one more thing to cause his friend anxiety, Albus nodded in the direction of the central staircase and indicated with one hand that they should walk along the side of the hall, where the carpet was slightly thicker and better for muffling footsteps. They walked slowly across the landing, conscious of every rustle from their clothes and pausing regularly to listen for any noises around the house. Albus had almost reached the stairs when a quiet  _click_  broke the silence and suddenly a wide beam of light illuminated their path. Both boys whirled around to see the small silhouette of Lily peering around her unlocked door, a single candle on her bedside table casting her shadow into the hall. ‘Albus?’ she whispered.

Albus held a finger up to his lips and whispered a soft ‘Shhh,’ in reply. He turned to Scorpius, who stood paralysed, trying to control his breathing. ‘It’s okay,’ Albus mouthed, and gave a quick, but reassuring (he hoped), pat on the shoulder.

Lily remained in the doorway, watching steadily as Albus made his way back down the hall to meet her. He crouched down and took one of her hands in his. ‘It’s just us,’ he whispered, ‘We’re going downstairs.’

‘Why?’ she asked, tilting her head.

Albus tried to speak as quietly as possible, to avoid Scorpius overhearing his words. ‘Do you remember that Scorpius’s mum – that she died last year?’ His sister nodded. ‘Of course I remember.’

‘Well, today – tonight is exactly a year since she died. And Scorpius is feeling sad, so I am going to try and take him to see his dad, so they can be together.’

’By floo?’ Lily shifted her weight so she could see Scorpius over her brother’s shoulder.

‘That’s the plan.’ Albus replied. They both knew that their parents wouldn’t let them travel unaccompanied by floo yet – too great a risk of ending up somewhere you don’t want to go, they said. Lily seemed to mull over the boys’ plan for a moment, then pulled her door open further and walked past her brother with purpose, her light feet making no noise on the carpet. Albus turned to watch as she approached Scorpius, who backed away ever so slightly, uncertain of her intentions.

Lily looked up at Scorpius for a second, and then reached her arms around him and pulled him into a gentle hug. Her head didn’t quite reach the top of his shoulder – Scorpius was tall for his age, Lily was still waiting for her pre-teen growth spurt – so Albus could see his friend’s face move through surprise and panic into something more like gratitude. ‘I’m sorry about your mum, Scorpius,’ she whispered into his chest, and Scorpius held himself together, just barely, clearly willing himself not to cry.

‘Thank you,’ he said, extricating one of his arms from the hug and wrapping it around Lily’s shoulders, closing his eyes. Albus got the feeling Scorpius was wishing he’d had a sibling.

Staying silent, Albus rose and leant against the wall, giving the pair as long as they needed. He’d been on the receiving end of more than a few Lily Potter hugs when he was at his lowest and he was pretty sure they had some kind of magical healing properties – something she’d inherited from their mum. After a minute or two, Lily pulled back from the hug and Scorpius took a deep breath, quietly thanking her again. She nodded, and crossed the landing back to her room. ‘I won’t say anything to mum and dad,’ she said to Albus as she began to close the door.

‘And not to James either,’ Albus warned in a whisper. Lily rolled her eyes. ‘ _Especially_  not to James,’ she replied, ‘Good luck.’

Lily’s door clicked back into place and both boys paused for a minute to let their eyes re-adjust to the darkness. Albus moved first, heading for the stairs and reaching out a hand for Scorpius to make sure his friend wasn’t left behind. They made it down both flights of stairs without incident, and into the kitchen, going extra slowly as they passed Harry and Ginny’s bedroom across the hallway. Albus pushed Scorpius into the kitchen ahead of him, then pulled the heavy door closed behind them and flicked on a small lamp in the corner. Scorpius looked even paler than usual in the wan light.

‘Okay?’

Scorpius gave a small nod. He didn’t look okay, but Albus considered his options and decided that the best plan was still to get them both to Malfoy Manor. Scorpius had problems with his dad sometimes, but Albus knew that Draco would do anything for his son, especially on a night like tonight. Pulling Scorpius over to the fireplace, Albus reached for the floo tin on top of the mantel. It was light, only half full, but they wouldn’t need much. He held the tin out to Scorpius. ‘Do you want to go first?’

Scorpius looked down at the powder, and Albus could see his shoulders starting to tense, his breathing becoming more rapid. Scorpius glanced up at his friend, and Albus could read the beginnings of panic in his eyes once more. ‘I- I don’t know-’

‘It’s fine, Scorpius, I’m sorry, I’m rushing.’ Albus lowered the floo powder and softly stroked Scorpius’s shoulder with one hand. ‘Please don’t start to panic.’

'Mmm-hmm,’ Scorpius nodded, swaying slightly from side to side, not looking at Albus. ‘If we get caught…’

'If we get caught, it’ll all be on me, Scorp, I promise. I’ll tell them I dragged you there against your will. I don’t think they’ll be mad, especially not at you.’

Scorpius raised a hand to start biting at his nails, and Albus gently swatted it away. ‘Are you sure?’ Scorpius asked softly. Albus nodded vigorously. ‘I am completely sure. Let’s go together, okay?’

Albus didn’t wait for a reply, instead taking a good pinch of floo powder and replacing the tin on the mantelpiece, then taking Scorpius by the hand and throwing the powder into the embers. Although the evening’s fire had almost died, green flames roared to life and illuminated the kitchen with an eerie glow. Albus stepped forward into the large fireplace and pulled Scorpius with him, hauling him forwards until they stood face to face, only a few centimetres between them. Scorpius had his eyes closed tight, biting his lip and trying to control his breathing. Albus took his friend’s other hand and held them firmly, then opened his mouth and spoke as clearly as he could over the noise of the flames, ‘Malfoy Manor.’

Immediately they were whisked into the dark, and they clung on to each other as they felt flames roar around them and saw the dizzying flicker of other fireplaces whipping past. With a sickening jolt they were flung out onto the hearth of the Malfoy’s cavernous kitchen and the green flames faded to darkness. Scorpius coughed, rubbing his eyes and showering ash over the stone floor. Albus, who had remembered not to open his mouth during the journey, quickly brushed down his shoulders and then turned to Scorpius, shushing him and reaching over to ruffle his bright blonde hair, shaking away the fine layer of ash.

‘Shh, stop coughing,’ Albus whispered urgently, ‘You’re being loud.’

Scorpius spluttered and gasped, then eventually managed to stifle his coughs. ‘I hate floo,’ he said sulkily, sitting back on his knees. For a moment, he looked like his normal self, and Albus smiled inside at the sight of his friend’s melodramatic pout, which so often made an appearance when he found himself ruffled or disturbed from his usual neat routines. But as Albus watched, Scorpius seemed to deflate, looking around the cold, dark room and remembering why they were here.

Before Albus could move to comfort him, an almighty CRASH split the silence and light blinded them. Scorpius yelped in fear and Albus lunged forwards, flinging one arm across in front of his friend and throwing the other up to shield his eyes from the glare.

‘Who’s there?’ roared Draco, the beam from his wand wavering as he advanced into the kitchen.

Scorpius clutched the back of Albus’s sweater, one hand covering his eyes, whimpering in irrational terror. ‘It’s us!’ yelled Albus, ‘Scorpius – and me – Albus-' Draco continued to stride towards them – ‘Please stop-' he cowered, Scorpius ducking behind his back.

Draco was barely two paces from them when he stopped suddenly, dropping his wand and finally processing the words. Albus looked up at him, noticing the stubble along his jaw and the deep shadows beneath his eyes. Draco’s hair was loose, unkempt, but his wild eyes started to soften as he looked past Albus’s shoulder to his son, who was curled into a ball and shaking on the hearth, aware of nothing but his own panic.

Walking swiftly around the boys and crouching by Scorpius’s side, Draco rested a hand on his son’s back. ‘Scorpius, it’s dad.’

Albus tried to turn and pull back from the pair, but Scorpius still clung tightly to the hem of his sweater. He quietly prised the fabric free of his friend’s grip, then took Scorpius’s hand in his own and shuffled back to arm’s length. Scorpius lay, his breathing shallow, on the threadbare rug before the fireplace, one arm outstretched to Albus and his father by his side, slowly rubbing his back. It was all Albus could do to hold back tears – he’d caused this panic, even if it was only indirectly. It was a stupid idea, bringing Scorpius here. He should have known that his nerves would be too bad, that being out in the middle of the night and breaking rules would put him on edge, on an already stressful night. He’d seen Scorpius anxious before, of course, had helped to calm him down on so many occasions, but never anything this bad.

Draco looked up at him suddenly, as if seeing Albus for the first time. ‘What happened?’ he asked sharply. Albus cast around for words. ‘He was sad – was thinking about – that it was a year since… he said he wished he could see you, so I thought…’

Draco’s face was unreadable. ‘You thought?’

‘I thought I should bring him. He – when you came in – he was okay, but I think the noise and the light made him panic – I don’t think he’s hurt.’ It was a silly thing to say. Of course Scorpius was hurt. Draco gave an almost imperceptible nod, but said nothing.

They stayed there for what felt like an age, as gradually Scorpius calmed and his breathing steadied. After a while, Albus gave Scorpius’s hand a soft squeeze, and felt the slightest twitch of his fingers in reply. A tiny part of the tension in Albus’s heart gave way to relief. After a few more minutes of silence, Scorpius slowly opened his eyes, assessing his surroundings.

Draco spoke in a low murmur. ‘I’m here, Scorpius.’ Father and son locked eyes, and Albus looked on as Draco searched for answers in Scorpius’s gaze. Despite everything he knew about Scorpius’s tumultuous relationship with his father, Albus couldn’t help imagining how it would feel to see that same intense concern and love mirrored on his own father’s face.

Scorpius sat up, shivering slightly, and tears began to well in his eyes as he spoke, ‘I couldn’t help thinking about her dad, I try to only remember the good bits but – it was tonight, you know-'

‘I know, Scorpius, I know.’

Scorpius’s face crumpled into tears. Draco cleared his throat, then stood and reached down to pull his son up beside him. Scorpius’s hand dropped from Albus’s grip and for a second Albus debated jumping up to follow his friend. Instead he shuffled back into the shadow of the fireplace and watched the two of them leave, father supporting son with a gentle arm around his shoulders. They passed through the kitchen doorway and Albus guessed they were headed for the Malfoy’s grand living room, with its plush sofas and towering bookcases.

His task was done, he supposed, now that father and son were reunited. Albus knelt on the cold stone floor and pulled the sleeves of his sweater down over his hands to warm his fingers. Should he go back home? Something about leaving Scorpius at the manor didn’t feel right. But he knew he couldn’t follow them down the hall and interrupt their time together. He looked around the room as his eyes adjusted to the darkness and spotted a pair of armchairs in the far corner behind the vast mahogany table which doubled as counter space now that Malfoy family meals were few and far between. Albus stood and tiptoed over to the armchairs, grateful for his woolly socks and sweater. He nestled in the chair, pulling his knees up to his chest and stifling a yawn. His thoughts drifted as sleep slowly enveloped him, but the echo of Scorpius’s heart-breaking sobs seemed to linger in his ears well into his dreams.

* * *

When he woke, the kitchen was bathed in cool light, and Albus soon became aware of another presence in the room. He rubbed his eyes and awkwardly untangled his legs from his cramped position in the armchair, wincing as he stretched his aching limbs, and then turned to take in the room. Draco was busy at the counter, pulling open cupboards and drawers. Albus watched in silence as he eventually found three mugs and lined them up carefully next to the hob, where a kettle was starting to steam. Draco’s hair was pulled back from his face now, but his black trousers and shirt were heavily creased and Albus realised that he hadn’t changed out of his clothes from the previous evening – hadn’t slept.

As he waited for the kettle to boil, Draco looked up and gazed around the room, then startled when he noticed Albus staring back at him. ‘I didn’t realise you were awake,’ he said shortly, pulling on his cuffs to straighten them and trying to smooth some of the creases from his shirt.

‘Only just,’ said Albus nervously, ‘Sorry.’

Draco stared for a moment, until the whistle of the kettle interrupted his thoughts. ‘I’m making tea,’ he said, turning his back to remove the kettle from the hob and pull muggle-style teabags from a tin on the counter. Albus hesitated, not sure if he was being offered a mug or just informed. ‘Thanks,’ he ventured, and rose from the chair, walking a few steps forward to hover by the corner of the table. He’d never spent any time alone with his friend’s father before.

Albus fidgeted with the hem of his sweater as Draco poured the drinks. ‘Is Scorpius okay?’ he asked quietly. ‘Hmm?’ Draco replied absent-mindedly. Albus repeated himself. ‘Scorpius. Is he okay?’

‘Oh.’ An invisible weight seemed to fall on Draco’s shoulders. ‘He’s sleeping. He… it was a difficult night.’

Albus wasn’t sure what that meant, but he didn’t feel like he could keep asking questions. He thought of Scorpius upstairs, of the way he often twitched and mumbled in his sleep, the way he sometimes woke in the middle of a dream and Albus would find him peering through his dormitory curtains, wanting to talk. He longed to dash upstairs and check whether Scorpius needed him now.

‘Milk, sugar?’ Draco asked, turning to face Albus. ‘Um. Just milk please.’ There was something quite surreal about standing in the kitchen of Malfoy Manor after the events of the night before, having a conversation about tea. Draco poured the milk, stirred perfunctorily and then pushed the mug down the counter in Albus’s direction. ‘Cheers,’ Albus said, and moved forward to pick up the tea. Draco didn’t look at him, but gave a low sigh.

‘Thank you, Albus,’ Draco began, his voice slightly strained, ‘For bringing him here. I had expected he might struggle with this time – he was so close to Astoria – but I didn’t realise…’ he tailed off.

Albus felt compelled to fill the silence. ‘He gets like that – anxious, I mean – he gets like that at school sometimes. Not as bad as yesterday. But when he gets reminded of her, or if some of the other kids are mean – he’s usually okay after we talk for a bit though. I think he misses her all the time.’

‘So do I.’ Draco looked across at him for a moment, and Albus saw the hollow weariness in his eyes. ‘Scorpius is so like her,’ he continued, looking down at his own mug of tea. ‘Sometimes I can’t fathom what’s going on in his mind, or what’s best for him. When he asked to stay with you I had my reservations – you know that your father and I aren’t on the best of terms, and three weeks is half of the whole summer break. But he seemed so eager that I didn’t feel I could refuse. He didn’t mention the anniversary at the time.’

‘He didn’t say anything to me either, until really late yesterday. I…' Albus hesitated, ashamed. ‘I had forgotten what date it was. I was so stupid.’

‘No,’ said Draco firmly, ‘You did the right thing in the end. I’m… I’m glad Scorpius has a good friend in you.’

Albus didn’t know what to say. He tried to sip from his mug to give himself time to think, but the piping hot tea burned his tongue and he stifled a cough, swallowing the mouthful and feeling his eyes water as it seared his throat. He really didn’t want to break into a coughing fit in the middle of a serious conversation with Scorpius’s dad. When he spoke, his voice was strained and rather higher than he intended. ‘He’s always been a good friend to me too,’ he coughed again, ‘He always knows what to say. And he’s really smart, you know.’

‘Yes, so I’ve been told.’ Draco’s tone didn’t give anything anyway.

‘Well, except when he forgets to shut his mouth in the middle of a floo journey,’ Albus added without thinking, then tensed as he remembered who he was speaking to. But Draco smirked, amused. ‘Common sense isn’t always his strong point.’

Albus laughed timidly and nodded in agreement. Draco looked him in the eyes again, longer this time, as though he was trying to read Albus’s mind. All Albus could do was hold his gaze and maintain what he hoped was a neutral expression. After a moment, Draco turned away, replacing his own already half-empty mug of tea on the counter. ‘What time are your parents expecting you home?’

Inwardly marvelling at how Draco had managed to drink so much of the searing hot tea already, Albus missed the question. ‘Sorry, what did you say?’

‘When are your parents expecting you to be home?’

Oh. Albus guessed that in all of their father-son conversation last night, Scorpius hadn’t mentioned the part about them flooing to Malfoy Manor against Harry and Ginny’s rules. ‘Um. They might not know we’re here. Yet.’ Albus shrank back, looking down at the stone floor.

‘What?’ Draco’s voice was markedly sterner.

‘Er – they don’t really let us use floo. By ourselves, I mean. We aren’t supposed to. But it was the middle of the night, you know – I couldn’t have woken them up-'

‘Right.’ Draco cut him off and immediately strode towards the door of the kitchen. ‘I’ll owl them now. It should be there in half an hour or so. They’ll be panicking.’

Albus started to speak, ‘I’m not sure they wi-'

‘They will,’ came Draco’s reply as he exited the room. Albus stood holding his tea, not sure whether to follow. It had been going so well. He listened, following the sounds of Draco moving through other rooms of the house, and after a while he heard the soft rustle of owl wings passing by the kitchen window. When he returned to the kitchen, Draco stood just inside the doorway and regarded Albus with a hardened expression. ‘I will not be made responsible for you angering your parents,’ he said, his voice low but carrying clearly across the room.

Albus’s hands gripped his mug tightly. ‘Yes, Mr Malfoy.’ He didn’t dare say anything else, so they stood in silence until after short while, they both heard a soft pair of footsteps from the first floor, and looked up at the high ceiling.

Draco cleared his throat. ‘I was going to take that up to him,’ he indicated the full cup of tea still sitting on the counter, ’But if you would rather go-'

‘Yes. I mean – yes please, if you’re sure that you don’t mind.’ Albus waited for confirmation. Draco nodded, and reached back to hold open the kitchen door for him. Albus grabbed the tea and hurried across the room, ducking past Draco and desperately trying to keep his hands steady to avoid spilling the hot liquid down himself.

He’d only visited Malfoy Manor a handful of times but he remembered the way to Scorpius’s room easily, and he hurried up the grand stone staircase and through the dark corridors almost on autopilot. When he reached the door to his friend’s room Albus paused – the heavy oak panel with its silver knocker was nothing special, but he noticed a small sign which he had never paid much attention to on his previous visits. It was made from a small square of pale wood and hung over the knocker with a strand of green yarn.  _Scorpius’s Room_ , it read, painted in what looked like the hand of a slightly shaky but very determined child. Next to the words, fingerprints were daubed in primary colours, two large and one small, with dots for eyes and happy smiles drawn over the ovals. Above each of the prints, the same shaky hand had painted their names -  _Dad,_   _Mummy_ , and  _me_. Albus felt his breath catch in his throat as he thought of his friend, long before they’d ever known each other, sitting with his family at the big table in their kitchen and playing with paints. Albus pushed open the door.

The heavy curtains were still drawn inside Scorpius’s room, and Albus strained his eyes to discern shapes in the darkness. ‘Scorpius?’ he whispered.

‘Albus?’ came the reply immediately. Albus followed the direction of the voice and his heart leapt as he saw Scorpius sitting at the foot of his bed, legs crossed, several small stacks of books on the floor before him. He looked exhausted, deep shadows ringing his eyes, but he was awake, and apparently calm. Albus deposited the mugs carefully on the desk to the right of the door, then hurried across to sit next to his friend.

‘Hi,’ was all he found himself able to say after he’d settled on the floor. 

‘Hi.’ Scorpius repeated.

‘Er. Have you been up long? We heard footsteps-'

Scorpius shrugged. ‘On and off. I was asleep for a while, but then I’ve been sorting my reading list books for a bit.’

Albus smiled inwardly. Of course he was re-organising his reading list.

‘Were you with dad?’ Scorpius asked.

‘Yeah,’ Albus nodded, ‘He came into the kitchen and started making tea. We didn’t say much.’

‘Oh yes, he makes a lot of tea. I think mum introduced him to those muggle tea bags and then he’s just kept using them since… well, you know. He says it’s just when he’s tired, but I suppose he’s always tired.’ Scorpius moved a couple of books between stacks absent-mindedly. ‘We talked for quite a long time.’

‘Through the night?’

Scorpius nodded and looked up at his friend, hugging a book to his chest. ‘About mum, mostly. He said that he thinks about her every day. And about not being there when – when it happened. And he said sorry for leaving me by myself and that he knew it must have been bad. We’d never really talked about it before, you know.’ Albus sensed that there was more to come, and sat quietly, giving Scorpius time to find his words.

‘It was good to hear that, I think. I told him some stuff too – you know most of it anyway – stuff about how I get down sometimes when I think about mum, or how I get panics like that at school sometimes too.’

‘That’s really good that you told him, Scorp,’ Albus nudged Scorpius gently with his elbow. ‘What did he say?’

‘Not a lot, really. But it seemed like he was properly listening – and thinking about it. I think he said that I could always owl him or maybe come home for weekends if I needed to. I don’t know if I will, though.’

‘Well, you don’t have to decide right now.’

‘No.’

They sat on the floor in peaceful silence, and Albus leaned back against the frame of Scorpius’s bed, looking up at the ceiling. Scorpius shuffled his books into order and then leaned back too, shoulder to shoulder with Albus.

‘I’m sorry for messing up your summer,’ he said in a small voice.

Albus elbowed him again. ‘Don’t be silly,’ he said, ‘It was just one night. And I’m your friend, I don’t care that you get sad or stressed sometimes.’

‘Okay.’ Scorpius nudged Albus back, and they shared a smile. Scorpius tilted his head back up towards the ceiling, sighing softly and closing his eyes. ‘Can I still come back and stay with you?’

Albus’s eyes lingered on his friend’s face, noticing the little crease of concern between his brows. ‘Of course you can. You didn’t think I was going to leave you here for the whole of the rest of summer? We haven’t even found a way down to that beach with the cool rockpools yet.’ Albus said, and watched as Scorpius smiled again, letting out a small laugh.

‘You remember when you said you hoped this summer would be chilled?’ he said, with a hint of regret.

‘Scorp, it has been. And we still have a week at mine, we have loads of time to chill.’

Scorpius nodded slowly, finally starting to relax. ‘Yeah,’ he smiled, ‘Loads of time.’

* * *

Albus ambled along the deserted beach behind Scorpius, matching his friend’s footsteps in the damp sand and listening to him chatter animatedly about the book he’d just read on the Goblin Rebellion of 1752. The late afternoon sun was low in the sky, and it was the last day of Scorpius’s stay at the Potters’. They’d returned home in the afternoon following their floo adventure to Malfoy Manor, and Albus had received a stern talk from Harry and Ginny about rules being there for a reason and the risks of leaving the house without telling anyone where they’d gone. Lily had kept her word and said nothing to their parents, so Albus, though sorely tempted, thought it best not to mention that technically they had told _someone_ where they were going. He was grateful though that his parents’ disapproving words were kept just for him and not Scorpius. He knew that his friend was desperately worried about staying in the Potters’ good books and that Scorpius’s frayed nerves probably wouldn’t survive another confrontation so soon.

Once the discipline was done with, Harry and Ginny had seemed happy enough for them to go back to their summer routine of lazy mornings at the house and afternoon wanders. Albus suspected that his parents, especially his mum, were sympathetic to Scorpius and knew that Albus had only been trying to comfort his best friend. Now, they were making the most of their final day of sunshine and beach-combing before Scorpius returned to the manor for the rest of the summer.

As they walked, Albus’s mind began to drift. Scorpius was showing no sign of ending his goblin stories, so he decided to interject. ‘Scorp, you know I love hearing about obscure historic events for hours on end-'

‘That had better not be Albus Potter sarcasm,’ Scorpius swung around with a grin and continued down the beach, stepping backwards haphazardly.

‘Of course not. But look, while there’s not parents hanging around, can I just ask you about last week?’ Albus slowed in the hope Scorpius would stop his wobbly backwards walk before he actually fell over.

‘What about last week?’ Scorpius said happily, oblivious.

Albus stood still. ‘About that night.’

'Oh.' Scorpius’s smile dropped and he stumbled backwards slightly before also coming to a halt. ‘I know it was stupid of me to get so worked up-’ he began.

‘No, it really wasn’t,’ Albus cut him off. ‘Look, I want to check that you’ll be okay for the next couple of weeks. I know you and your dad are mostly fine, and it won’t be the anniversary again, but – well, if something like that happens again – I won’t be there.’

‘I’m aware of that.’ Albus watched as Scorpius looked down at the ground, shuffling sand around with his bare feet.

Albus sighed. ‘Well? Will you be okay?’

Scorpius eventually looked up at him. ‘I’ll be fine,’ he said noncommittally. Albus responded with a single raised eyebrow and it was Scorpius’s turn to sigh. ‘Okay, okay. I think I will be fine, but also I will be fine if I’m not fine.’

‘What? That doesn’t make any sense, Scorp.’

‘I mean that if I’m not fine – if I start thinking about it too much or I get down or whatever – anything like that night – I’ll owl you, okay. Or properly talk to dad. I promise.’ Scorpius’s last words were barely audible over the soft rush of the waves, but they were all the reassurance Albus needed. He knew better than to push the subject any more, so he broke into a smile and walked forward to his friend, who turned and fell into step alongside him.

‘That’s alright then,’ Albus said, ‘I just wanted to make sure that you wouldn’t go all silent again, it’s not good for you.’

‘I know,’ Scorpius replied, veering left so that he could paddle through the shallows of the incoming tide as they walked.

‘You can go back to talking about goblins now, if you like,’ Albus called after him, and Scorpius turned to him eagerly. ‘Really?’

‘Oh yeah, it’ll give me something to think about when I’m trying to sleep tonight, send me right off,’ Albus teased, sticking his tongue out at his friend.

‘Mean!’ Scorpius pouted for a few seconds, then suddenly whirled around and swung a hand through the waves, showering Albus with a spray of sea water. Albus yelped and jumped back, soaked and sputtering, and Scorpius doubled over laughing.

‘You did  _not_  just do that, Malfoy!’ Albus yelled, rubbing water from his eyes and advancing into the waves. Scorpius let out an exaggerated scream and started to run away, but Albus pursued him, kicking up great splashes of water towards Scorpius as he ran and laughing just as hard as his friend. They raced up and down the beach, splashing and shouting in glee, until both were entirely drenched and gasping for air.

Once they’d had time to catch their breath, the pair reluctantly began the steady climb back up the dunes and towards home. At the crest of the hill they paused and looked back to the beach, the sweeping blue sky and pink-edged clouds hanging above the sea like a painting and the evening sun dusting the crest of every distant wave in gold.

‘What am I going to do by myself at home, Albus?’ Scorpius sighed.

‘It’s only a couple of weeks,’ Albus replied, gazing out to sea. ‘I’m sure you’ll cope. We’ll be back at school before you know it.’

Scorpius folded his arms across his chest and shivered slightly. ‘Fourth year,’ he said.

Albus nodded and looked across at his friend with a smile. ‘Fourth year,’ he echoed. ‘Don’t worry, Scorp, everything will be fine. I’ve got a good feeling about this year.’

**Author's Note:**

> Well we all know how Albus's 'good feeling' about fourth year turned out... 
> 
> Thank you for reading! Comments/feedback always welcome. Find me on twitter and tumblr @trolleybitch


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